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“Dead of Winter: The Donner Party” Reaches 6.67 Million Viewers on The Weather Channel during Premiere Weekend

2.06 million viewers tuned into the premiere

ATLANTA - Dec. 9, 2015 - Over 6 million viewers revisited the harrowing tale of the Donner Party and their pursuit of the American Dream, in the premiere weekend of “Dead of Winter: The Donner Party” on The Weather Channel. The 2-hour historical film, which explores the Donner Party’s infamous journey, aired five times throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and reached 6.67 million viewers (P2+).

On the Friday, November 27 9 p.m. ET premiere the film reached 2.06 million viewers (P2+) and ranked as the number one program of the day for the network. Ratings and other highlights include:

The premiere airing reached 582,000 viewers (P25-54).

Time spent viewing (TSV) averaged 25.8 minutes among P25-54 viewers, an increase of 74% compared to prior four week averages.

“Dead of Winter: The Donner Party” marked an increase of 180% among the P2+ audience compared to the prior four week time period averages - delivering a 453K during the 2-hour premiere

What started out as a simple voyage to the West quickly turned deadly for the Donner party after a series of bad decisions and severe weather. Trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, this group of nearly 80 settlers fell prey to sub-zero temperatures, torrential rainfalls, extreme heat and ten-foot snow drifts. “Dead of Winter: The Donner Party” explores this harrowing journey through a hybrid of first-person narration, remarkable reenactments, expert interviews, CGI and archival materials.

“Dead of Winter: The Donner Party” is produced by Thinkfactory Media ("Hatfields & McCoys," "Texas Rising," "Marriage Boot Camp"), a full-service production company that creates award-winning, high-quality entertainment content. Adam Reed, Adam Freeman, Raymond Bridgers and Leslie Greif serve as Executive Producers for Thinkfactory Media and John Joseph serves as Executive Producer for The Weather Channel.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, Live + Same Day, Reach and TSV based on 1 minute qualifier.

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